Be Brave
by xAshleyxElricx
Summary: Life is eternal; and love is immortal; and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.
1. Welcome to the Mountain

I had only been here a few days and I already felt out of place. A part of me missed the training I used have alone with Seba, but this place was just too damn big.

I walked around the mountain aimlessly, wishing there was something more interesting to do; Seba was occupied with his new job as quartermaster and lord only knew where my friend, Gavner Purl, had gone off to.

On that note, I wandered into the Halls of Sport figuring I might as well pass the time playing games than doing nothing. Looking around, I spotted a match currently taking place on the bars. I walked over and watched the match along with a crowd of others. A rather large, burly vampire was up there facing a young woman (she could not have been any older than myself) with long black hair that was tied up in a ponytail. My first thought was something along the lines of "Okay, how bad is she going to loose," but that was before she knocked the other vampire to the floor within a matter of seconds.

Damn.

"Alright, who's next?" she hollered from the bars. I watched as several vampires, one after another, challenge her and loose miserably.

"Anyone else?" she asked as if no one would dare to take her on. I smirked. The last few guys were weak, but this would be a cake walk for me. I grabbed a staff and jumped up on the bars like the cocky bastard I was.

"Ah, a new face." she smiled. "What might your name be?"

"Larten Crepsley." I stated, with complete confidence.

"Well, Larten," she said raising her staff, "why don't we start with a little greeting?"

With that said she charged at me with her staff. I had moved out of the way _just_ in time. Damn she was fast. Without giving me a moment to think about what was coming next, she swung the staff down at me, just barely giving me enough time to duck down and block it with my own.

"You call _this_ a greeting?" I hollered at her.

"You may back out if you wish." she said with a smirk.

I began to laugh as I stood up. "Yeah right," I smiled, eyes determined and filled with fire, "Come on, give it your best."

"You have spirit," she laughed, "try not to let it get the best of you!" She came at me harder and faster this time, backing me into a corner. A tried for the offensive, but failed miserably, she dodged the attack got passed me, making her final move.

I ended up on falling back first on the ground. She jumped down to one of the lower bars, she looked down at me. "The name's Arra, Arra Sails. Welcome to the Mountain, Larten." she smirked.


	2. Know it All

A/N: As you may have noticed in the last chapter, I made a EPIC fail. Last chapter I mentioned that Larten was friends with Gavner up at this point. But what I forgot was the huge age difference between them. In the books Gavner is around 100 and Crepsley is around 200. If this is Larten's first time at the mountain there is no way Gavner could even be born right now XDDDDDDDDDD But then again it all depends on how soon after Larten was blooded he went to the mountain, so I GUESS it could work out. But for now Gavner remains in the story because he his a vital character. (You'll start to see that in this chapter) I also hope you guys picked up the inside things I put in chapter one. You see, I originally got this idea by reading the 4th manga volume that just came out, and I was reading the part where Arra was facing Darren on the bars. When Darren kept refusing to step down, Arra said that he had spirit, but like someone _else_ she knew. Thus the inspiration for this was born XD. So last chapter I really wanted to note the similarities between Crepsley and Darren.

But anywho, thank you everyone for the reviews! It means a lot!

* * *

After my humiliating defeat on the bars, I had decided to head over to the Dining Hall for a drink. I needed to get my mind off my sore back and how it got sore to begin with.

At the dinning hall I ran into Gavner, and joined him for a mug of ale. I told him about my run in with Arra Sails but he just stared at me and laughed.

"I should've warned you about her," he laughed. "She hasn't been defeated on the bars for a year or two! She's a fierce opponent to take on by choice."

Gavner was several years younger than I but had practically lived here most of his life, he knew almost everything I did not.

"That information would have been useful earlier." I shot him a glare.

"Heheh, sorry, Larten," he laughed again. "but you know, that Arra Sails is a strange character. When it comes to proving herself, she takes not limits. She already passed the trails of initiation! She's even talking about taking it a second, or even third time! She's out of her wits I tell ya!"

I remember Seba telling me about the trials of initiation. They were a set of tests designed to test a vampire's skill. It would the series of tests one would take if one wished to become a general. However, if you fail one of the trials, your sentence is death if you do not already die trying to pass.

"The fact that she wanted to take the trials to prove herself is understandable," I replied, "but three times?"

"That's not even the half of it!" Gavner roared. "She also has this weird thing with handshakes. She _refuses_ to shake the hands of a person she doesn't respect. As far as I know, the only hand she has shaken is Vanez Blane's because she used to be his apprentice."

"She sounds too stubborn for her own good…" I noted.

"Ha! Speak for yourself, Larten! Out of all the vampires I've met, you're the one with the thickest head!"

"Charming." I huffed as I took my last sip of ale.

* * *

After having a few more drinks with Gavner, I headed off to my room. As I was walking I couldn't get my mind off Arra. I had absolutely no idea why. What is there to even think about? She's just your average girl who wants respect. That is all… Right?

I was sitting in an old chair by a ratty, old desk when Seba Nile, my mentor, walked in.

"What is troubling you?" he asked, obviously seeing the troubled look on my face.

"It's nothing." I replied.

Seba walked over and nonchalantly yanked a hair from my ear. "_It is_ nothing." he corrected me.

"OW! Okay fine! _It is_ nothing." I said, obviously not wanting to deal with being scolded at the moment.

"I heard about your defeat on the bars." he brought up conversation.

"Oh great, even you heard about that."

"I think it is good that someone is showing you your place." he smirked a reply.

I rolled my eyes.

"You know, Larten, it would not hurt to attempt to talk to her," Seba smiled, "She is a general you know, you can learn a thing or two from her. Perhaps _you_ will become a general someday."

"Hah!" I practically started laughing, "I will _never_ become a general!"

"You might think differently as time goes on. Now, however, you should focus on getting some sense knocked into that hard head of yours."

I grunted as I thought about Seba's suggestion. Talk to Arra? Am I aloud to be that straightforward? I mean sure I would like to talk to her, but certainly not about being a general. But what would there be to talk about? I mean why do I even want to talk to her to begin with? It's absurd

"Why would I even want to talk with her?" I answered Seba, "It's not-" he gave me a glare and I immediately corrected myself, "_It is_ not like I have anything to gain from it."

"Perhaps." He shrugged and shot me that smirk of his again.

Why does he always seem to know something I don't?

* * *

A/N: Lol xD. I expect Larten to act this way when around Seba just because of the several stories that Seba has told us in book 4. XD Well I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up because I'm pretty much just working on this when I'm bored but I expect it to be up soon however.


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